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Hypertension: possible differential risk for blacks in Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT)
1University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Insights
Beta-blockers reduce mortality after heart attack. This study highlights how high blood pressure in Black patients in the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT) contributed to higher risk and similar treatment responses as other high-risk groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Trials
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Beta-adrenergic antagonists are proven to reduce mortality post-acute myocardial infarction.
- Higher mortality rates were observed among Black patients in the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT).
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the role of pre-existing hypertension in the elevated risk profile of Black patients within the BHAT.
- To examine the response to beta-blocker therapy in high-risk Black patients compared to other high-risk participants.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT).
- Focus on patient subgroups, specifically Black patients with prior high blood pressure.
- Comparison of treatment response across different risk profiles.
Main Results:
- Prior high blood pressure is identified as a significant factor in the high-risk profile of Black patients in BHAT.
- Black patients with hypertension showed a similar response to beta-blocker therapy as other high-risk patients in the trial.
Conclusions:
- Hypertension plays a crucial role in the cardiovascular risk of Black patients post-myocardial infarction.
- Beta-blocker efficacy in reducing mortality is consistent across various high-risk patient groups, including Black patients with hypertension.
Abstract:
Previously reported data document that efficacy of beta-adrenergic antagonists in lowering mortality rates after acute myocardial infarction. Similarly, the higher observed mortality rates among blacks in the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT) have been addressed. In this report, we further emphasize the apparent role of prior high blood pressure in the high risk profile of black patients radomized in the BHAT and the similarity in response to therapy to other high risk patients in this study.